I have a '49 3/4 ton Chevy that I want to get running and driving. It has sat for quite sometime, around a decade, and had a very amateur resto at some point including a 12-volt conversion with an alternator. It has a '54 235 in it with a '53 cylinder head, connected to a floor shifted 3 speed. It is in fairly rough, but not horrible, condition and will need everything mechanical gone through. I don't know much about these trucks and I'm hoping to learn more and get some help here along the way. I have decent mechanical skills but I'm no pro. I don't have a heated garage, yet. I moved it into my greenhouse so I can work on it on the weekends through winter. I hope to have it running and driving by spring.
The first thing I want to do is to try to make the engine run. It appears to be in decent condition, no water in the oil, looks decent under the valve cover. I think it can be made to run as is with basic tune up parts. I purchased all new ignition components(cap, rotor, plugs, wires, condenser, points) and a new fuel pump. I plan on changing out all those parts. I also plan to run a hose from the pump into a gas can to avoid any problems that may be lurking in the old fuel tank and line up to the pump. I will only connect the battery while I'm trying to start or running the engine, I don't trust the old electrical system. It will be disconnected at all other times.
First question: What type of oil should I put in it. Can I run modern oil or do I need to run one of the special old engine formulas with add zinc, etc?
Any other things I should watch out for before I try to fire this thing up? Any advice you can give me to help me from making stupid mistakes would be greatly appreciated. LOL
